Suspect escaped ‘because I wanted to go to jail’

A SUSPECT being held at the Walvis Bay Police cells says the “unbearable” conditions there compelled him to escape so that he could be sent to jail instead.

Steven Visagie (31), charged with extortion, kidnapping and attempted murder, had been detained at the Walvis Bay Police station cells for almost three months when he escaped on May 23. He was re-arrested the same day and appeared in the Magistrate’s Court three days later.He pleaded guilty to a charge of escaping from lawful custody.Magistrate Johanna Prinsloo granted him his wish of wanting to go to prison and sentenced him to 12 months.Visagie claimed the conditions at the Police cells were “inhuman”.He, along with Roedolf Carstens (26), is accused of kidnapping a woman and her son at Walvis Bay in January.They allegedly tied up Santelle Garces and placed her in the boot of a vehicle.They drove her to the Elago Flats, where she was allegedly placed in a deep freeze, and took her two-year-old son.He was dumped in front of a house in Meersig, while she was allegedly driven to Dune 7.In a Police follow-up operation, Visagie was shot and arrested at Swakopmund.He has been in custody since.In his testimony in court last week, Visagie said there were a number of reasons that had driven him to escape from the Police cells.He claimed that on Sunday, May 23, members of the shift on duty were drunk for a second Sunday in a row.”We were not allowed to see our wives and family.”He alleged that they were also teargassed for the fifth time that month… for no apparent reason”.By 20h00, he was pacing the passage in front of the cell when, allegedly, “one drunken officer did not lock the cell door”.He noticed that one of the windows, with reinforced steel on the inside, had a hole in the top right-hand corner.He said he returned to cell 3 where he stayed and decided to try and break out through the window as the conditions had become unbearable.He listed hygienic conditions as the first reason for his decision to act.”The toilet has not been working for three weeks.”He said water and urine were running freely across the floor and onto their mattresses.He claimed the little bedding they were given was ridden with bed bugs.He was told by an Inspector that the bedding had not been washed since November.Visagie further described the conditions saying people were constantly sick with TB and other diseases.”We have to fight for those people to be taken to hospital.”He said as an asthmatic person the wet floors and dust had resulted in several attacks.He claimed that the only food they received was pap and dry bread, while the constant verbal abuse from Police officers was also getting to him.”I decided I could break the hole in the window bigger and get out.”He walked back to the window, which was across from cell 5, put his hands in the hole and loosened some segments.He said he managed to lift himself out and he climbed onto the roof.”I sat there for a while enjoying the sky.As I was thinking I was stupid to escape, a soccer team arrived in the backyard of the Police station.”it looked like some of the players noticed him on the roof.”I did not want to be shot again and I moved back to the window.”When he saw the Commander at a security gate he thought of giving himself up.The Commander raised his pistol and fired a shot at Visagie.He dropped his bag, started running along the roof and jumped onto the pavement.When a second officer fired a shot at him, he said he decided to run.When he realised that by the second block a whole bunch of people, “it looked like the soccer team”, were behind him, Visagie gave himself up.He told the Magistrate he knew it was unlawful to escape, but he could no longer bear the conditions in the Police cells.”It was infuriating not to see my loved ones and the teargas was the limit.I wanted to go to jail,” said the father of a three-year-old son.Employees at the Walvis Bay Magistrate’s Court told The Namibian that several detainees had complained in court about the conditions at the Police cells.One employee said:”You can immediately smell them when they arrive at the court.It is just terrible.The smell of urine is so overpowering it still hangs in the air the next morning before the court fills up with people.”He was re-arrested the same day and appeared in the Magistrate’s Court three days later.He pleaded guilty to a charge of escaping from lawful custody.Magistrate Johanna Prinsloo granted him his wish of wanting to go to prison and sentenced him to 12 months.Visagie claimed the conditions at the Police cells were “inhuman”.He, along with Roedolf Carstens (26), is accused of kidnapping a woman and her son at Walvis Bay in January.They allegedly tied up Santelle Garces and placed her in the boot of a vehicle.They drove her to the Elago Flats, where she was allegedly placed in a deep freeze, and took her two-year-old son.He was dumped in front of a house in Meersig, while she was allegedly driven to Dune 7.In a Police follow-up operation, Visagie was shot and arrested at Swakopmund.He has been in custody since.In his testimony in court last week, Visagie said there were a number of reasons that had driven him to escape from the Police cells.He claimed that on Sunday, May 23, members of the shift on duty were drunk for a second Sunday in a row.”We were not allowed to see our wives and family.”He alleged that they were also teargassed for the fifth time that month… for no apparent reason”.By 20h00, he was pacing the passage in front of the cell when, allegedly, “one drunken officer did not lock the cell door”.He noticed that one of the windows, with reinforced steel on the inside, had a hole in the top right-hand corner.He said he returned to cell 3 where he stayed and decided to try and break out through the window as the conditions had become unbearable.He listed hygienic conditions as the first reason for his decision to act.”The toilet has not been working for three weeks.”He said water and urine were running freely across the floor and onto their mattresses.He claimed the little bedding they were given was ridden with bed bugs.He was told by an Inspector that the bedding had not been washed since November.Visagie further described the conditions saying people were constantly sick with TB and other diseases.”We have to fight for those people to be taken to hospital.”He said as an asthmatic person the wet floors and dust had resulted in several attacks.He claimed that the only food they received was pap and dry bread, while the constant verbal abuse from Police officers was also getting to him.”I decided I could break the hole in the window bigger and get out.”He walked back to the window, which was across from cell 5, put his hands in the hole and loosened some segments.He said he managed to lift himself out and he climbed onto the roof.”I sat there for a while enjoying the sky.As I was thinking I was stupid to escape, a soccer team arrived in the backyard of the Police station.”it looked like some of the players noticed him on the roof.”I did not want to be shot again and I moved back to the window.”When he saw the Commander at a security gate he thought of giving himself up.The Commander raised his pistol and fired a shot at Visagie.He dropped his bag, started running along the roof and jumped onto the pavement.When a second officer fired a shot at him, he said he decided to run.When he realised that by the second block a whole bunch of people, “it looked like the soccer team”, were behind him, Visagie gave himself up.He told the Magistrate he knew it was unlawful to escape, but he could no longer bear the conditions in the Police cells.”It was infuriating not to see my loved ones and the teargas was the limit.I wanted to go to jail,” said the father of a three-year-old son.Employees at the Walvis Bay Magistrate’s Court told The Namibian that several detainees had complained in court about the conditions at the Police cells.One employee said:”You can immediately smell them when they arrive at the court.It is just terrible.The smell of urine is so overpowering it still hangs in the air the next morning before the court fills up with people.”